I am so Very Proud of the Brave Ukrainians. They are Standing Their Ground And Holding Fast In Spite of all odds against them. God Be With Them!

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That’s Really all I wanted to say.

Hallelujah – Leonard Cohen’s song for Ukraine with new lyrics, 2022

Cred: Shirley Șerban

What is it Good For?

3 thoughts on “I am so Very Proud of the Brave Ukrainians. They are Standing Their Ground And Holding Fast In Spite of all odds against them. God Be With Them!”

  3. Thinking of my Ukraine friends Andrei, Nathalie and their extended family..
    This is a long read..if it doesn’t fit the spirit of this blog, feel free to delete it. This was an email sent to a friend who often sees things through a much different lens than my non-conformist self. We debate often, usually over a martini or a glass of vino rouge:

    Part of being a thinking person is that you pay attention to things that the typical American Idiot wouldn’t.

    My frequent observation that “the guy with the biggest and most guns – and willing to use them – usually wins” isn’t an entirely cynical comment. Reading through this week’s geopolitical commentary, I found that I’ve good company in that assessment from an expert in Soviet – Ukraine affairs.

    Nadia Schadlow, who previously served in the Department of Defense – Soviet and Ukraine section, the NSC and now a current member of the Council on Foreign Relations and Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute, discussed this week the failure of deterrence in Ukraine. Her astute, informed assessment of deterrence was simple: “Deterrence involves two factors: capability and will. Capability means having the military strength to deliver intolerable damage to an adversary. Will is the determination to use that strength and deliver that damage”. Ms Schadlow noted that the USA spends billions of dollars a year to fortify its formidable military capabilities. She also noted that “resolve costs nothing, but it is priceless when it comes to deterring aggression.” By signaling that the U.S. had no intention of using its capabilities, the Biden administration seriously weakened their deterrent value. The White House consistently broadcasts what it won’t do, thereby removing a crucial component of deterrence: the ability to amplify risk through ambiguity. Putin now knows exactly how much to escalate the conflict because U.S. officials have told him exactly what the maximum U.S. response will be.

    Kind of like playing poker against someone that lays all their cards face-up on the table.

    Now we know why a tragedy that has displaced 10 million people and forced 3 million to flee as refugees continues to escalate in scope and brutality day-by-day. The USA can no longer mount an effective deterrent. The resolve is no longer there. Most American Idiots don’t follow global affairs closely enough know the difference. Or even care.

    So much for the claims of “social justice” among the “progressive” element. That will forevermore ring hollow now. Yep, what a great notion to latch onto – as long as it doesn’t cost anything. After all it is a world away. Maybe that so-called justice isn’t extended to those with a different heritage or language. Ahem, but doesn’t that fly in the face of those who clamor for “justice”? Hmmm. Meanwhile Mr & Mrs Progressive, just keep munching on tater tots and fondling the PlayStation controls. Then bitch about Trump for 5 minutes, go hoist the Black Lives Matter flag and genuflect at the edifice of climate change. You’ll still feel good in the morning. The gravest social injustice visited on humankind in our lifetime and we lack the resolve to offer any real deterrence. I never again want to see nor hear the political theatrics from any so-called “progressive” about “justice.” Yep, there was the opportunity to demand real justice for Ukraine but the ball sailed wide left. The hypocrisy will not be lost on me.

    China will be the next opponent to eagerly exploit the USA’s lack of resolve. Why wouldn’t they? My Chinese friends said this week that Taiwan will fall within a year. What deterrence could the USA offer that would stop them? Putin has set the roadmap for Xi: just bludgeon the civilian population into submission. Ruling over an ash heap is acceptable as long as the geography is acquired.

    The thinking person will postulate, correctly, that the cost to the USA for future deterrence will be far higher, as we will be forced to climb out of a hole of weakness and timidity. As Ms Schadlow noted “Deterrence is an art, not a science. But the U.S. almost certainly faces a challenge if it wants to keep the peace in the future. Restoring the perception of American will to deter conflict may, ironically, require an even more forceful manifestation of that will on the battlefield. In a world of diminished deterrence, the desire for peace could make conflict more certain”.

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